Esther Williams (August 8, 1922 - ) is a United States competitive swimmer and 1940s and 1950s movie star. Known as "America's Mermaid," she was famous for her musical films that featured elaborate performances with swimming, diving and "water ballet," which is now known as synchronized swimming.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

FERNANDO LAMAS (Esther's Husband for 22 years)

Lamas was a famous movie star in Argentina. In 1951, he moved to the United States to play "Latin Lover" roles. Lamas directed his first film Magic Fountain(1963) starring his wife Esther Williams. He directed another film, The Violent Ones (1967), which co-starred Aldo Ray and David Carradine. He was most active directing television shows that included Mannix, Alias Smith and Jones, Starsky and Hutch and Falcon Crest. Falcon Crest co-starred his son, Lorenzo. Lamas was married four times, first to Perla Mux , 2nd wife Lydia Barachi, actress Arlene Dahl was his 3rd wife and his 4th wife, actress Esther Williams (married 1969 until his death in 1982). He had a daughter with Mux and another with Barachi, and a son, actor Lorenzo Lamas, with Dahl.

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That's Entertainment

Esther Williams 2007 Interview.

In November of 2007 on Good Morning America. Diane Sawyer caught up with her childhood hero Esther Williams. Click picture to view.

ESTHER WILLIAMS FILMOGRAPHY.

ESTHER WILLIAMS COLLECTION VOLUME 1.

Click picture to view movie clip. Bathing Beauty (1944). Musical. Cast: Red Skelton, Basil Rathbone and Esther Williams, Harry James and his Music Makers, Ethel Smith, Helen Forrest and Xavier Cugat and his Orchestra. Director: George Sidney. This was not William's screen debut, but it was her first musical. The film was initially to be titled "Mr. Co-Ed" with Red Skelton having top billing. However, once MGM executives watched the first cut of the film, they realized that Esther Williams' role should be showcased and changed the title to "Bathing Beauty". The film is Janis Paige's film debut.

BATHING BEAUTY

CLICK TO SEE MOVIE CLIP.

ETHEL SMITH

Her recording of Tico Tico was her best-known hit. It reached No. 14 on the U.S. pop charts in November 1944 and sold over one million copies worldwide. She also recorded it for the 1944 film, Bathing Beauty. Click picture to enter websight.

Helen Forrest

Big Band Jazz Singer. She recorded more than 500 songs, included "All The Things You Are" with Artie Shaw and "The Man I Love" with Benny Goodman. She appeared in musical films like "Bathing Beauty" (1944) and "Two Girls and a Sailor" (1944). Click picture to view Helen singing.

If you are an Esther Williams fan you will love this movie. It is one of my favorites. Williams and Lawford are wonderful together and so are Ricardo Montalban and Cyd Charisse. Especially during their beautiful dance numbers. If you love happy and romantic musicals you'll love this movie. And don't forget.. we get to see Esther doing what she does best in beautiful water performances. Click to view trailer

ON AN ISLAND WITH YOU.

Click to dance clip with Cyd Charisse and Ricardo Montalban.

ON AN ISLAND WITH YOU.

ESTHER WILLIAMS and PETER LAWFORD.

This musical remake of the (1936) comedy classic Libeled Lady. Van Johnson, Esther Williams, Lucille Ball and Keenan Wynn, do a wonderful job taking over the roles first performed by William Powell, Myrna Loy, Jean Harlow and Spencer Tracy. I think this is my favorite Lucille Ball performance. I had to post the picture of the English Springer Spaniel. I'm owned by one.. :) .Click to view movie trailer.

Neptune's Daughter (1949). Musical/ romantic/ comedy Cast: Esther Williams, Red Skelton, Ricardo Montalbán, Betty Garrett, Keenan Wynn, Xavier Cugat and Mel Blanc. Directer: Edward Buzzell. Features the Academy Award winning song Baby, It's Cold Outside by Frank Loesser. Neptune's Daughter was the third movie that paired Williams and Ricardo Montalbán together, the other two being Fiesta (1947) and On an Island with You (1948), and the second to co-star Red Skelton (1944's Bathing Beauty).

ESTHER WILLIAMS COLLECTION VOLUME 2.

Million Dollar Mermaid, A perfect role for Esther Williams. A story inspired by the life of " Annette Kellerman," an Australian swimming champion and water ballet performer who performed in New York's Hippodrome. I thought Esther, did a wonderful acting tribute to Annette. Click to view trailer

This is a gorgeous film. Scenery of the island of Tahiti was beautiful. A cute story line with some wonderful songs and one amazing coral sea ballet. I also enjoyed seeing the native dances. One that really stood out in my mind was the SIMONE knife dance. Rita Moreno plays a feature role, in sarong and long beautiful hair. Click to view trailer.

If you are an Esther Williams fan you will love this movie. It is one of my favorites. Williams and Lawford are wonderful together and so are Ricardo Montalban and Cyd Charisse. Especially during their beautiful dance numbers. If you love happy and romantic musicals you'll love this movie. And don't forget.. we get to see Esther doing what she does best in beautiful water performances. Click to view trailer

Easy to Love (1953) With the Cole Porter classic as the music title, Esther Williams and Van Johnson star in their fifth film together. Click to view trailer.

This Time for Keeps (1947) Romantic/ musical. Cast: Esther Williams, Jimmy Durante, Johnnie Johnston and Lauritz Melchior. Director: Richard Thorpe. The film was shot in color on location at the Grand Hotel, on Mackinac Island in Michigan. This Time for Keeps became the second film in which William's name was first billed above the title, after Fiesta .Click to view trailer.

Thrill of a Romance (1945) Romance. Cast: Van Johnson, Esther Williams and Carleton G. Young, with musical performances by opera singer Lauritz Melchior. Director: Richard Thorpe. Written by Richard Connell and Gladys Lehman. This was the first of four films that paired Williams and Johnson together. Made over a period of eight years, those that followed were Easy to Wed (1946), Duchess of Idaho (1950) and Easy to Love (1953).Thrill of a Romance was a box office success, becoming the eighth-highest grossing film of 1945. Click to view trailer.

Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly are a great pair that really have a wonderful friendship. Frank Sinatra had no idea how to dance. But for this film, he worked with Gene Kelly for hours to get his routines down, because he was determined to make the movie a success. Click to view movie trailer.

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME

Click picture to view movie clip.

Duchess of Idaho is a musical romantic comedy produced in 1950 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Directed by Robert Z. Leonard, it was the fourth film pairing Esther Williams and Van Johnson. It was shot mainly on location in Sun Valley, Idaho .Click to view movie trailer.

TEXAS CARNIVAL(1951).

Esther Williams is far from the water at the Texas Carnival (1951) in this musical co-starring Red Skelton. Click to watch movie trailer.

TEXAS CARNIVAL(1951).

Esther Williams, only production number in a dream sequence in which she floats around in Howard Keel's darkened hotel room, trailing a white veil. Click to view movie clip.

Jupiter's Darling(1955). Musical /romance. Director: George Sidney. Cast: Esther Williams , Howard Keel and Marge Champion. The film features Roman generals Fabius Maximus and Scipio Africanus who appear briefly. Carthaginians Mago Barca and Maharbal also appear. Jupiter's Darling was based on Robert Sherwood's anti-war comedy film The Road to Rome (1927). The film was the last of three films Williams and Keel made together, the other two being Pagan Love Song (1950) and Texas Carnival (1951) .Click picture to view movie trailer.

Connie Haines sings: Of All Things.

Click to watch movie clip, From the movie: THE DUCHESS OF IDAHO (1950).

Connie Haines and Van johnson singing: Let's Choo Choo Choo to Idaho.

Click to view movie clip. From the movie: THE DUCHESS OF IDAHO (1950).

ESTHER WILLIAMS CO. STARS:

BETTY GARRETT

Betty Garrett, actress, comedienne, singer, and dancer who began her career in the golden age of movie musicals.

CYD CHARRISE

After recovering from polio as a child, and studying ballet, Charisse performed in films in the 1940s. Her roles focuses on her talents as a dancer, and she danced with Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly and Ricardo Montalban. Click picture to enter the: Official Cyd Charisse page.

HOWARD KEEL

JIMMY DURANTE

Singer, pianist, comedian and actor. His comic language, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose helped make him one of the most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s. Click picture to view websight.

RED SKELTON

Comedian best known as a top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971. Skelton's show business career began as a circus clown and went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, night clubs and casinos, all while pursuing another career as a painter. Click picture to enter the: Official Red Skelton web sight.

Ricardo Montalbán

A Mexican born American radio, television, theater and film actor. He had a career spanning seven decades (motion pictures from 1943 to 2006).

VAN JOHNSON

In 1942, he was in a car accident which left him with a metal plate in his head. Ineligible to serve during WWII, he became America's war film hero. Johnson also performed in MGM musicals, opposite June Allyson or Esther Williams. In the 1950s, as middle age set in, he moved on to more serious roles. Click picture to learn info. on Van Johnson.